


Flowers of The Sky

by theboybismarck



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Post-Canon, F/F, Fireworks, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Fourth of July, Panic Attacks, Romantic Gestures, United States
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-04
Updated: 2019-07-04
Packaged: 2020-06-03 18:55:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19470073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theboybismarck/pseuds/theboybismarck
Summary: Alphys couldn't say what was wrong. She couldn't bring her mouth to move, her voice to add more to the cacophony of senses around her. She couldn't just say 'oh, everything is too much,' because Undyne had put a lot of effort into this date, and she couldn't ruin it by being... herself.Overwhelmed anxious Alphys.





	Flowers of The Sky

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! Dumb drabbly wish fulfillment I wrote and edited in less than 24 hours. Just to get me back up and writing fanfiction again. Hope you enjoy it at least somewhat.

Undyne, for her part, tried really hard to make this the perfect date. She wasn't really one to plan the outings she went on with her romantic interest Alphys. She would typically grab the shorter woman's clawed hands and drag her around town until she found something fun to do. No room for planning meant that there was no room for fretting, which Alphys did a lot of. If Undyne was spontaneous enough, then maybe her cutest friend would be less likely to hyperventilate when things went wrong. Undyne could simply pass it off as "part of the plan." Undyne liked that about the surface. It was unpredictable. 

The event was good in theory. The Fourth of July was approaching. Frisk explained this holiday to Undyne in great detail. It was a holiday specific only to this certain region of the world. The holiday involved a lot of cookouts and suntans and loud music and most importantly, fireworks. These big colorful booms would go off in the sky to signify something. Independence? Liberty? The Disney castle? The genocide of many indigenous people in the name of freedom? Undyne had no idea what they stood for, but she knew that they looked like giant flowers and, more important than that, she had no idea how the hell they worked. Alphys, top geek that she was, would have the best time in the world researching and explaining exactly how the fireworks worked. Undyne loved when she got all nerdy. Her eyes would light up like little stars and her voice would gain a little bit of extra stability. 

Undyne spent weeks at the local park, sussing out the best potential spots to set out a blanket. She brought along Papyrus and spent days bickering with him that the best spot to watch the fireworks from would definitely be in a tree, while he countered that Alphys would probably have a difficult time actually getting up in the tree. She finally acquiesced and settled for a spot just in front of the tree. She'd put Alphys on her shoulders so she could get a better view. She spent an hour preparing sandwiches and practicing the witty one-liners she was going to say to make the cutie swoon. Everything was going to plan.

She picked up Alphys around eight. Well, okay, she didn't have a license, but she planned to just physically pick up Alphys and sprint her the three miles to the park. That should be pretty easy. She knocked on the door hard enough to, er, rattle the hinges a bit. Eh, she'd fix it later. Alphys opened the door almost too quickly, like she was standing right behind it or something. 

"O-Oh! Undyne! Uh, hi! I didn't, uh, expect you here for at least another four minutes and twenty-seven seconds." Alphys stuttered a bit, her hands clenching and unclenching as she spoke. She was nervous, Undyne could see that. For her practical perfection, Alphys really could do with just a little more confidence. "I'm overdressed, aren't I? I'm definitely overdressed." 

"What!? You look freakin' gorgeous, Alphy, I love it!" The short monster's hands fiddled with the edges of her dark green sundress and a gentle blush lit up her face. "Oh, I don't know about all of that..." She trailed off after seeing Undyne's absolutely incredulous look. It was kind of cute, the way her eyebrows drew down almost comically and just the tips of her pointy teeth were visible beneath her scowl. Deciding to spare herself from another lesson in confidence, Alphys switched conversation topics. "So, where are we going?" 

Instead of responding, Undyne picked up Alphys, causing her to squeak as she was raced bridal-style down her driveway. 

"Undyne! The door! A-At least let me l-lock the door!!" The former royal guard captain made a quick U-turn and brought Alphys back to her house and leaning close to the door so that Alphys could lock it. "S-Strange, the door seems a bit-"

"AAAAND WE'RE OFF!" Undyne started in on her breakneck pace to the local park. She could fix it later. Right now, it was time for the BEST DATE EVER! Undyne sprinted down the street, jumping over a group of very bewildered looking humans as she ran. Her baseball cap fluttered off of her head and she caught it deftly before tucking and rolling, her body shielding Alphys from the pavement as she rightened herself. She paused for a moment to grab the water bottle she'd clipped to her backpack, pouring some water on her head. She shook her now wet red hair back and forth. Hey, it was Summer! It wouldn't do any good for Undyne to become a fish stick in this weather.

"That was super sugoi..." Alphys could never really get over Undyne's athletic achievements. She knew it came from years of practice and work and dedication, just like her own intellectual pursuits, but Undyne made it all seem so effortless. Undyne grinned, and the glint of the slowly setting sun caught on her sharp teeth and cast an orangey glow on her bright blue scales, and she was beautiful and perfect and took Alphys' breath away. She really hoped she wasn't staring. Was she staring? She should stop staring.

Undyne laughed and jammed her hat onto Alphys' head. "Hold onto that for me, okay?" Before Alphys could answer, she began sprinting again, still heading towards the park. They still had plenty of time before the sun fully set and the fireworks started, but Undyne hoped they would have time to talk before. Yeah, okay, they talk pretty much every day, but Undyne really liked talking to her!!

Eventually, the two made it to the park. Undyne lowered herself to the ground and set down Alphys. She's learned from experience that Alphys does not respond too well to being dropped unceremoniously, or to being tossed really high, or spun around really fast, so she tries to be gentle. She can get carried away, though. 

The park was very nice. The grass was a lush green, there was minimal litter, and the park benches were only slightly warped. Other people were milling about, jogging or sitting or playing on the playground. Most of them were humans, though Undyne spotted a familiar monster face every so often. 

She discarded her backpack and dumped it on the floor, before stooping down to open it. Alphys shifted side to side, unsure of what to do. She fixed the hat on her head so the brim was facing front as Undyne pulled out a blanket from her bag and spread it on the ground. She sat down on the blanket and patted the spot next to her, inviting Alphys to sit. She does, albeit awkwardly. 

"I should have b-brought sunglasses," she mumbles, raising an arm to shield her eyes from the setting sun. "Aw, what? But then you'd miss the Sun! It's nice!" 

"You'll ruin your eyes if you just stare at it, Undyne." In response, the warrior shrugs and takes a long drink of water. "I'll just beat up the Sun if it hurts my eyes. Or your eyes! So don't worry about that." 

Alphys sighs, though she can't help the smile that encroaches her face's territory. Undyne makes everything so simple. "Just b-be careful, okay?"

The two retrieved the sandwiches that Undyne packed and talked. Alphys' confidence lessons from Papyrus were going...okay. She felt silly sometimes practicing the positive affirmations or whatever it was that he tried to make her do, but maybe it was working, because she could go out with Undyne without feeling completely inferior to her crush in literally every single way. Just most ways now. 

The sun had finally disappeared behind the curve of the horizon, and the sky was completely dark. More people had crowded the park, and Alphys moved closer to Undyne to feel a sense of safety. The air smelled the smallest bit like alcohol. Whoops and laughter filled the air, and dots of yellow graced her periphery as children played with sparklers and fireflies darted about.

Suddenly, a whistling noise. The entire park seemed to be holding its breath, waiting for something. Almost every head was cast towards the sky, except for Alphys'. She seemed to be looking for the source of the whistling.

BOOM! Bright pink exploded in the sky, scattering outwards in a pattern vaguely resembling a star, or an asterisk maybe. More cheers filled the air, louder than before, and Alphys seemed to bristle, grabbing Undyne's hand.

"Alphy! The fireworks are starting! There they go!" A blue hand pointed at the sky as more whistling whizzing sounds filled the air. Now that Alphys was looking up, she could see that the noise was accompanied by a small white streak heading upwards, and the explosion was directly correlated with bright colors streaking across the sky. Undyne cheered as blue and white and red lit up the sky in a display that seemed to be brighter than the sun. 

Everything was beginning to feel like too much. The brightness in the sky, the whooping and screaming and clapping, the smell of alcohol and sulfur, the heat suffocating her skin. Alphys felt like every one of her five senses were being assaulted all at once. She didn't expect this. 

Her shoulders tensed and she let her gaze fall, trying to find some way to escape the sensory overload she felt. She got this a lot after coming to the surfac.e Everything just felt like it was too much sometimes, and there weren't any caverns or dark places she could go to if she wanted to escape it. That wasn't socially acceptable anyways. She put her hands over her ears and squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to find some sort of reprieve. Nothing seemed to be helping. She could still hear those loud boom noises, and she could still smell sulfur and booze, and her skin still felt like it was being suffocated.

She jolted as she felt a warm hand on her arm. Opening her eyes, she saw that Undyne was looking at her with the most concerned expression. Slowly, she removed her hands from her ears.

"Are you okay, Alphy? What's wrong?"

Alphys couldn't say what was wrong. She couldn't bring her mouth to move, her voice to add more to the cacophony of senses around her. She couldn't just say 'oh, everything is too much,' because Undyne had put a lot of effort into this date, and she couldn't ruin it by being... herself. Overwhelmed anxious Alphys. She could feel the tears coming on, but there was no way she was going to let them spill over right now. She could wait until she got home, she just had to grit her teeth and bear it until then. She forced her posture to relax. 

"Nothing, I-I was just shocked, is all. I'm f-fine, Undyne." 

Undyne didn't look convinced, but Alphys turned her gaze to the sky because she didn't want to see that Look right now. She didn't know if she would be able to handle Undyne thinking she was weak on top of everything else. She would combust for sure. The warm hand that was on her arm slowly moved down to her hand and squeezed gently. An anchor.

Everything hurt and Alphys wished she knew why. It didn't make sense. Everyone else was having fun, right? She should be having fun. If she really thinks about it and focuses her attention on having a good time, maybe it'll happen, and the noises will stop being noisy and the smells will stop smelling and the air won't be so oppressive. After some of the bigger fireworks, a crackling sound happened after the star-shape was made in the sky.

"Hey, look, Alphys! Yellow- Alphys? Are you sure you're okay?" Undyne craned her head down to look at her companion, concern etching her angular features. Alphys didn't even realize she was crying silently until she felt it. Her throat began to close up, and she felt like she couldn't speak. She couldn't answer to the worry that she'd caused her friend. She slipped her hand from Undyne's grip, stood, and ran away. She needed to find somewhere quieter. Somewhere that allowed her to collect her thoughts and figure out what to do. 

She stumbled along, her path illuminated by the brightness in the sky. she tripped over a group of humans who were watching from their vantage point on the ground. She stuttered out a quick sorry as she picked herself up and continued to scurry, and she was sure one of them had _sneered_ at her. Maybe she was imagining it, but probably not. 

After a while of running, she began to feel out of breath. Coupled with the tightness of her throat and chest, she felt lightheaded. She started to walk instead. This part of the park was a little more secluded, and the smell of booze and sulfur became just sulfur. The booms were just as loud, but if she looked down and put her hands over her ears maybe she could begin to think a little. 

Her breaths were shallow and quick, and she realized that she was panicking. She continued to walk, focusing on placing one foot in front of the other. Thinking was just as terrible as being overwhelmed. Undyne probably hated her for bailing on the date. She probably thought Alphys was a freak. Just the weird nerdy science girl who ruined everything and couldn't even enjoy fireworks like a normal person. She kicked a small pebble. This was supposed to be _fun_. She ruined it. 

She looked up to make sure she wasn't running into anything. The carousing behind her wasn't audible anymore, which she felt grateful for. The sparklers in the children's hands faded to pinpricks. Everything was becoming just a bit easier to handle. The loud noises still made her jump, but things were better. She turned her eyes back towards where she was headed. Oh, a playground.

Alphys sits down on a swing, her feet swinging listlessly. She tried to concentrate on her breathing, on slowing everything down. She closed her eyes and focused on her chest, on keeping the rising and falling of her lungs consistent. Soon her breaths began to even out. She should go home, rest up, and get onto contact with Undyne tomorrow. Or next week. Or never. Never also works. 

She keeps her eyes closed, tries to fade the sound of booming to the back of her mind, when she suddenly feels a weight settle into the swing beside her. "Alphy?" It's Undyne. Of course it is.

Alphys braces herelf for the moment where Undyne calls her something terrible and yells at her for ditching the date. But it never comes. Instead, that familiar warm hand settles on her shoulder, before quickly moving away. "Sorry, is that okay? Hell, are you okay?" 

Alphys buries her face in her hands. Undyne was still being nice to her. Of course she as, she's always so considerate, even at her most rowdy and unabashed. Alphys sniffles and wipes her eyes with the back of her hand. "I'm f-fine, I'm okay, I..." Alphys met Undyne's gaze and faltered. "...Everything just became t-too much, too right and loud and smelly and- and- I couldn't, I'm s-sorry, p-please don't hate me-" 

Undyne stood up slowly. She dusted off her pants and sprinted away.

"I..." Alphys as speechless. Her throat felt closed again. She slowly slid off the swing and furled up on the ground, gravel digging into her legs and arms. She didn't care. Undyne hated her and ran away from her. The booms in her ear felt far away. She wished she could just stay here forever, with her eyes closed. but she knew that eventually, she would have to get up, face the fact that her crush hated her, go home, pop in a marathon of Kissy Cutie: Cutie Strikes Back, and hide under her covers until the end of time.

She gave herself a few more shallow breaths, a few more quick heartbeats, before slowly pulling herself to her feet. She heaves a sigh, ears beginning to ring, and stars walking back towards her house. Her steps were slow and heavy, each one seeming to serve no purpose. It's not like things will feel less terrible at home. She exits the park and turns onto the sidewalk, heading in a direction. She doesn't really know if it's the right way, but it's away. 

Did Undyne always want to do that? Just run away whenever Alphys was becoming too much of a burden? She couldn't be blamed for it. No one could be blamed for not being able to deal with someone so whining and neurotic and... particular. She wished she could be cooler. Stronger. Less scared of those stupid flowers in the sky. She removed Undyne's hat from her head and held it close to her chest. 

"Alphys? Where are you going?" She spun around quickly. Undyne stood there, her backpack on her back. "Are we heading to your house? That's cool, maybe things would be less, I dunno, overwhelming for you. We can watch through the window if you want."

"Why would you want to go back with me?"

"Well, duh, Alphys, you're my best friend, I wanna make sure you're alright and stuff." She approached Alphys and sat on the sidewalk next to her. "Thanks for trying to tell me what's wrong. I'm sorry for leaving all the sudden." She motions down to her bag. "I just wanted to get my stuff so we could leave A.S.A.P." 

"O-Oh. I thought- Nevermind." She clutches the hat, self-conscious, before handing it over to Undyne. "Here."

"Nah! You keep it, Al, it looks really nice on you." She affixes the hat to her sweetheart's head. 

The Undyne in real life is way kinder than the Undyne in Alphys' head. The real Undyne would never berate her or scream at her for being overwhelmed or scared or even weak. The real Undyne would say something like...

"You know, it's okay to be scared, right Alphys? Those fireworks are huge! And I don't really know how they make 'em or even why they make 'em. But I do know that I care wayyyy more about you than seeing fireworks. You're like fireworks I get to see every day. It's great! Ah, man, that was cheesy. Haha. Hey, Alphys? Oh, c'mon Al, don't cry..."

She wiped away some of Alphys' tears, and the other girl moved closer to her and hugged her around the waist. "I thought y-you'd left me because I was just, just so stupid and, scared all the time, even over stupid things--"

Undyne pulled her into the tightest of hugs, one that seemed to block out the feeling of the heat on her skin and quell the anxieties in her mind. "Yannow, for the smartest person pretty much ever, that's really stupid. Hup!"

She lifted Alphys up with ease. "Let's get you home, okay?" 

"Y-Yeah, okay."

The two walked back home, illuminated only by the gentle glow of fireworks. 


End file.
